There had been a lot of finger-pointing going on during the three-part season 5 reunion of the “Real Housewives of Potomac,” including a couple pointed at Bravo boss Andy Cohen.
Following the epic showdowns between Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard and that of Monique and her husband Chris Samuels versus Gizelle Bryant, many accused Andy, the shows’ moderator, of being biased and leaning in favor of Candiace. His remarks about Monique and Chris’ finances helped fuel those accusations.
During a recent episode of “Watch What Happens Live” with guests Rachel Lindsey and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” newbie Drew Sidora, Andy addressed the backlash he received and gave viewers an insight into what he claimed took place.
Andy asked Rachel, who apparently is a big fan of the show, “Were you furious with me like everyone else was at my reunion hosting?” To which the former “Bachelorette” responded, “I wasn’t furious. That’s not the right word. I did think you were more on Candiace’s side than Monique’s.” She continued, “You were a little bit … You held her feet to the fire more than …”
Andy admitted that he received the same criticism quite a bit and that he was trying to push for the reunion to be four parts. “I really talked to Candiace, a lot, about her role in this, and the fact that really people think that, a lot of people think that she provoked it, and she said ‘drag me.’ And we talked about that in relation to what Kenya and Porsha went through, and I don’t think enough of that made it in the show, clearly, so there you go,” the executive producer explained. He added, “I know a lot of people were very upset.”
Rachel expressed that she understood how the lack of footage played a role in how Andy appeared to be more on Candiace’s side, but critics online were reluctant to take his word for it.
One Twitter commented, “So Miss Andy—an executive producer—is blaming production and the editing for why he looked like a f—ing villain in the #RHOP reunion? Girl…”
Another user wrote, “So now it’s editing? The fact that Gizelle was on camera with Robyn lying on an innocent baby and this wasn’t addressed by @Andy is abysmal!” They added, “She should’ve been held accountable for that BS. Does Bravo condone making up rumors concerning children? #rhop.”
“So the fact that he did it on the aftershow and not the live airing is a mistake. Blaming editing and production is another mistake,” a third expressed. “He is still not holding himself accountable or even apologizing for his bias. Kudos Bravo on staying messy with your performative activism.”
